Safety pill containers

ABSTRACT

A safety pill container for the protection of children and others from obtaining free or easy access to medicinal items such as pills, capsules and the like whereby to prevent the ingestion of harmful and sometimes fatal medicines, either capriciously or accidentally.

[4 Aug. 13, 1974 SAFETY PILL CONTAINERS [76] Inventor:

Gerald F. Lewis, l850-Columbia, Berkley, Mich. 48072 Sept. 15, 1972 Primary Examiner-George T. Hall Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Everett G. Wright [22] Filed:

[57] ABSTRACT A safety pill container for the protection of children Appl. No.: 289,302

.215/223, 206/42, 215/9 A45c 13/10, B65d 83/04 [5'1] ::r and others from obtaining free or easy access to me- [58] Field of 215/9.206/15 42 dicinal items such as pills, capsules and the like whereby to prevent the ingestion of harmful and md S T m mT ms H. N U Q 5 Aspenes.........,......................,.

215/9 8 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures The safety pill container of the invention comprises an open top closed bottom pill container element which may be manually axially inserted and removably locked into a sleeve element having a manually turnable cap element turnably mounted in axially movable relationship thereon, the open top of said pill container element being disposed in abutment against the inner top of the cap element when locked within said sleeve element; the said pill container element being removable from said sleeve element only by first turning said cap element with respect to said sleeve element so that tabs depending from said cap element become aligned with suitably located wells formed in the top of said sleeve element, and then manually pressing said cap element axially downwardly while supporting said sleeve element against said downward movement of said cap element with respect thereto.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The instant invention is directed to providing an improved safety pill container which consists of a tubular open top closed bottom pill container element, a tubular sleeve element, and a cap element turnably and axially movably mounted on said sleeve element, all formed of a suitable plastic material. The sleeve element has an inner annular anchorage bead formed around the inner periphery thereof. The outer periphery of the pill container has a plurality of nibs formed around the outer periphery thereof. The said annular anchorage bead within the sleeve element and the said nibs extending outwardly from the outer periphery of the pill container element are located with respect to each other so that, when the .pill container element is manually telescoped axially into the bottom of the said sleeve element with the open top of the pill container element disposed firmly against the inner surface of the top of the cap element, the said pill container element is in its closed position and is removably locked within said sleeve element.

The said cap element is provided with preferably three spirally located tabs depending therefrom which become aligned with a like number of spirally located wells formed in the top of an annular shoulder formed integral with and disposed around the top of the said tubular sleeve element responsive to turning said cap element with respect to the said sleeve element. By holding the sleeve element from turning, and applying axially downward pressure on the cap element while turning the same until the tabs depending from the cap element become aligned with the wells in the annular shoulder of the sleeve element, the cap element forces the pill container downwardly with respect to the sleeve element and unlocks the pill container element from said sleeve element whereupon said pill container element will slide freely therefrom.

Inasmuch as after the pill container element is inserted and locked within the capped sleeve element, and a child or adult would find it extremely difficult to take the proper steps to release the pill container element from the capped sleeve element without explicitly following directions for so doing, safety pill containers of the invention will eliminate a great majority of illnesses and possible deaths occurring as the result of the accidental taking and ingesting medicines not prescribed by ones own physician.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like and corresponding parts-throughout the several views, in which;

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of safety pill containers of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a top elevational view,

FIG. 3 is a bottom elevational view,

FIG. 4 is a somewhat enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 5 showing a preferred location of uniformly spirally spaced wells formed in the top of the upper annular shoulder of the sleeve element and the location of spirally spaced vertically disposed tabs depending from the turnable cap element, which tabs are shown out of alignment with respect to said spirally spaced wells,

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4 showing the safety pill container in its closed and locked position with the upper annular edge of the pill container element disposed in its closed position against the inner surface of the turnable cap element which is turnably engaged with the bottom of the upper annular shoulder of the sleeve element of the safety pill container,

F IG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of FIG. 7 showing the cap element in its turned position wherein the depending tabs of the cap element are aligned with the spirally spaced wells in the top of the upper annular shoulder of the sleeve element,

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6 showing the cap element when manually turned to align the depending tabs of the cap element with the wells formed in the top of the upper annular shoulder of the sleeve element,

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 7 except that the cap element has been pressed downwardly with respect to the sleeve element into a position freeing the pill container element from said sleeve element, thereby permitting the cap and sleeve element to be lifted freely as a unit from the pill container element, and

FIG. 9 is an exploded sectional view showing the cap element, the sleeve element, and the pill container element and the relative locations of the continuous anchor rib disposed around the inner periphery of the sleeve element and the anchor nibs disposed in spaced relationship around the outer periphery of the pill container element.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The particular safety pill container disclosed in the drawings preferably comprises three plastic elements molded of suitable plastic material of sufficient strength for the purpose but which will deflect sufficiently to permit proper functioning of the device.

The three plastic elements consist of a tubular pill container element 10, a sleeve element 20, and a cap element 30. The tubular pill container element 10 has an open top 11 and a closed bottom 12. The sleeve element 20 is formed to telescope relatively freely over the said tubular pill container element 10, and includes an outer integral peripheral upper shoulder 21 located at the top thereof. The cap element 30 has a flat circular top 31 and a depending circumferential wall 32, and

is turnably mounted on said sleeve element 20 over the outer peripheral shoulder 21 thereof with the inner face 310 of the top 31 of the said cap element 30 spaced above the said outer peripheral upper shoulder 21 of the said sleeve element 20, as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. The inner lower portion of the depending circumferential wall 32 of the cap element 30 is formed to provide an inner circumferential rib 320 which is snapped over the outer peripheral shoulder 21 of the sleeve element 20 whereby to retain the said cap element 30 over the peripheral upper shoulder 21 of the sleeve element 20 and yet permit said cap element 30 to be manually turnable and axially movable with respect to said shoulder 21 of the sleeve element 30.

The top of the outer integral peripheral upper shoulder 21 of the sleeve element 20 has a plurality of uniformly spaced spirally located wells 22 formed therein which accommodate a like plurality of uniformly spaced spirally located tabs 33 formed integral with and depending from the bottom inner face 310 of the flat circular top of the cap element 30. The said tabs 33 are sized and located so that they will telescope relatively freely into the said spirally spaced vertical wells 22 formed in the top of the said shoulder 21 of the sleeve element 20 when the cap element 30 is turned to a position wherein said tabs 33 depending from said cap element 30 become aligned with said vertical wells 22 in the top of the shoulder 21 of said sleeve element 30 while manual pressure is applied axially against the top of said cap element 30.

The inner periphery of the sleeve element 20 is provided with a continuous inner rib 23 formed therearound preferably located opposite and just below the level of the bottom of the outer peripheral upper shoulder 2] thereof. The outer periphery of the tubular pill container element is provided with a plurality, preferably three, outwardly extending preferably equally spaced nibs l3 therearound located at a distance below the open top 11 of said pill container element 10 so that when the top peripheral edge 110 of the open top 11 of said pill container element 10 abuts the inner face 310 of the cap element 30 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the said nibs 13 of the tubular pill container 10 are disposed above the said continuous inner peripheral rib 23 of the sleeve element 20, whereby to releasably hold the top peripheral edge 110 of said tubular pill container element 10 in its closed position against the bottom 310 of the said cap element 30, as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 7.

By reference to FIG. 8, it will be observed that the cap element 30 has been manually pushed downwardly with respect to the sleeve element 20. This can be done only when the cap element 30 has been turned so that the depending tabs 33 of said cap element 30 have been aligned with wells 22 formed in the top of the upper annular shoulder 21 of the said sleeve element as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. This position is the only position in which the tubular pill container element 10 may be removed from the said sleeve element 30.

For convenience in returning the tubular pill container element 10 in anchored relationship with the sleeve element 20, the tabs 33 of the cap element 30 need not necessarily be aligned with the wells 22 formed in the top of the upper circular shoulder 21 of the said sleeve element 20.

In other words, no matter to what position the cap element 30 may have been turned with respect to the sleeve element 20, the said tubular pill container element 10 may be telescopingly returned into the open bottom of the sleeve element 20, and by manually gripping the said sleeve element 20 in one hand, the bottom of the said tubular pill container element 10 may be manually pushed upwardly from its unlocked position shown in FIG. 8 and snapped into its locked position shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, with the bottom of the sleeve element 20 disposed firmly against the inner face 310 of the flat circular top 31 of the cap element 30 and with the equally spaced outer nibs 13 of the tubular pill container element 10 disposed upwardly past the continuous inner rib 23 of the said sleeve element 20.

When the nibs 13 on the safety pill container element 10 are snapped over the continuous inner rib 23 of the sleeve element 20 when unlocking and thereby releasing the said pill container element 10 from within the sleeve element 20, an audible warning signal of substantial magnitude is produced indicating that the said pill container element 10 has been released from the said sleeve element 20, thus alerting others within hearing range of unauthorized or untimely access to the said pill container element 10. This provides an added feature of detecting when children or others may be about to take harmful pills, capsules or the like.

Although but a single embodiment of the safety pill container of the invention has been disclosed herein, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the size, shape, arrangement and detail of the several elements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A safety pill container formed of three molded plastic elements comprising a. a tubular pill container element having an open top and closed bottom,

b. a sleeve element formed to telescope over said pill container element, said sleeve element including an outer integral peripheral shoulder located at the top thereof, and the top of the shoulder of said sleeve element having a plurality of uniformly spirally spaced vertical wells formed therein, and

c. a cap element turnably mounted on said sleeve element over the outer peripheral shoulder thereof with the inner top of said cap element spaced above said outer peripheral shoulder, the lower portion of the periphery of said cap element being formed to retain said cap element in manually turnable and axially slidable relationship on the shoulder of said sleeve element,

d. a plurality of tabs formed integral with and depending from the bottom of the top of said cap element sized and located to telescope within the said spirally spaced vertical wells formed in the shoulder of said sleeve element responsive to turning said .cap while manual pressure is applied axially thereagainst,

e. the said sleeve element being provided with a continuous rib around the inner periphery thereof preferably located opposite the bottom of the outer peripheral shoulder thereof, and the outer periphery of the closed bottom tubular container element being provided with a plurality of suitable spaced nibs therearound located to snap over the inner peripheral rib of said sleeve element when the bottom of the tubular pill container is pressed manually inwardly with respect to the said sleeve element, whereupon the turning of the cap element with respect to the sleeve element disaligns the said tabs of said cap element with respect to the wells in the shoulder of said sleeve element and locks the safety pill container until said tabs of 5 said cap element and wells of said sleeve element are re-aligned, and the pill container element is manually snapped free of said sleeve element.

2. A safety pill container comprising a. a tubular pill container element having an open top and a closed bottom including a plurality of outwardly disposed nibs spaced around the outer periphery thereof,

b. a sleeve element formed to telescopingly receive said tubular pill container element having an integral outer shoulder formed around the upper outer periphery thereof with a plurality of spaced wells formed in the top of said shoulder and having an inner continuous annular rib formed around the inner periphery thereof,

c. a cap element mounted in turnable and limited axially movable relationship on said sleeve element disposed over the outer shoulder of said sleeve element leaving a space between the top of said shoulder and the bottom of the top of said cap element when said cap element is manually pulled axially upwardly with respect to said sleeve element,

d. the inner top of said cap element having a plurality of depending tabs extending downwardly therefrom registerable with the plurality of wells formed in the top of the outer peripheral shoulder of said sleeve element,

e. the said tubular pill container element being locked within the said sleeve element when pushed upwardly thereinto from the bottom thereof while manually holding said sleeve element into a position until the nibs of said pill container element snap above the inner continuous annular rib of said sleeve element and the said cap element is turned so that the depending tabs of the cap element are out of alignment with the wells in the top of said sleeve element,

f. the said tubular pill container element becoming unlocked with respect to said sleeve element responsive to said cap element being turned so that the depending tabs thereof are positioned in alignment with the wells formed in the top of said sleeve element and the said cap element is pressed axially downwardly with respect to said sleeve element, whereupon said nibs of said pill container element snap below the inner continuous annular rib of said sleeve element and said pill container element becomes free to slidably gravitate from said sleeve element.

3. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein at least two or more spaced tabs depend from said cap element and a like number of spaced wells are formed in the top outer shoulder of said sleeve element.

4. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein said tabs and wells are arranged in other than circular alignment with respect to each other.

5. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein said tabs and wells are arranged in evenly spaced spiral alignment with respect to each other.

6. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein the upper peripheral edge of the open top tubular pill container is maintained in abutment against the inner top of said cap element when the nibs of the said pill container element are snapped above the continuous annular rib within said sleeve element.

7. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein the nibs on said pill container element are so located with respect to the annular rib within said sleeve element that they remain in juxtaposition after said pill container element is pressed into said sleeve element with the said nibs snapped over said rib and the upper peripheral edge of said pill container element is positioned against the inner surface of the top of said cap.

8. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein the relationship between the outer nibs of said safety pill container and the inner circular rib of the safety pill container causes the snapping of the outer nibs of the safety pill container element over the continuous inner rib of the sleeve element while unlocking of the said pill container element from its locked position to provide an audible signal of substantial magnitude indicating that someone, possibly an unauthorized child or person, has unlocked and freed the safety pill container element from its locked position within said sleeve element whereby to admit of free access to the 

1. A safety pill container formed of three molded plastic elements comprising a. a tubular pill container element having an open top and closed bottom, b. a sleeve element formed to telescope over said pill container element, said sleeve element including an outer integral peripheral shoulder located at the top thereof, and the top of the shoulder of said sleeve element having a plurality of uniformly spirally spaced vertical wells formed therein, and c. a cap element turnably mounted on said sleeve element over the outer peripheral shoulder thereof with the inner top of said cap element spaced above said outer peripheral shoulder, the lower portion of the periphery of said cap element being formed to retain said cap element in manually turnable and axially slidable relationship on the shoulder of said sleeve element, d. a plurality of tabs formed integral with and depending from the bottom of the top of said cap element sized and located to telescope within the said spirally spaced vertical wells formed in the shoulder of said sleeve element responsive to turning said cap while manual pressure is applied axially thereagainst, e. the said sleeve element being provided with a continuous rib around the inner periphery thereof preferably located opposite the bottom of the outer peripheral shoulder thereof, and f. the outer periphery of the closed bottom tubular container element being provided with a plurality of suitable spaced nibs therearound located to snap over the inner peripheral rib of said sleeve element when the bottom of the tubular pill container is pressed manually inwardly with respect to the said sleeve element, whereupon the turning of the cap element with respect to the sleeve element disaligns the said tabs of said cap element with respect to the wells in the shoulder of said sleeve element and locks the safety pill container until said tabs of said cap element and wells of said sleeve element are re-aligned, and the pill container element is manually snapped free of said sleeve element.
 2. A safety pill container comprising a. a tubular pill container element having an open top and a closed bottom including a plurality of outwardly disposed nibs spaced around the outer periphery thereof, b. a sleeve element formed to telescopingly receive said tubular pill container element having an integral outer shoulder formed around the upper outer periphery thereof with a plurality of spaced wells formed in the top of said shoulder and having an inner continuous annular rib formed around the inner periphery thereof, c. a cap element mounted in turnable and limited axially movable relationship on said sleeve element disposed over the outer shoulder of said sleeve element leaving a space between the top of said shoulder and the bottom of the top of said cap element when said cap element is manually pulled axially upwardly with respect to said sleeve element, d. the inner top of said cap element having a plurality of depending tabs extending downwardly therefrom registerable with the plurality of wells formed in the top of the outer peripheral shoulder of said sleeve element, e. the said tubular pill container element being locked within the said sleeve element when pushed upwardly thereinto from the bottom thereof while manually holding said sleeve element into a position until the nibs of said pill container element snap above the inner continuous annular rib of said sleeve element and the said cap element is turned so that the depending tabs of the cap element are out of alignment with the wells in the top of said sleeve element, f. the said tubulaR pill container element becoming unlocked with respect to said sleeve element responsive to said cap element being turned so that the depending tabs thereof are positioned in alignment with the wells formed in the top of said sleeve element and the said cap element is pressed axially downwardly with respect to said sleeve element, whereupon said nibs of said pill container element snap below the inner continuous annular rib of said sleeve element and said pill container element becomes free to slidably gravitate from said sleeve element.
 3. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein at least two or more spaced tabs depend from said cap element and a like number of spaced wells are formed in the top outer shoulder of said sleeve element.
 4. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein said tabs and wells are arranged in other than circular alignment with respect to each other.
 5. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein said tabs and wells are arranged in evenly spaced spiral alignment with respect to each other.
 6. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein the upper peripheral edge of the open top tubular pill container is maintained in abutment against the inner top of said cap element when the nibs of the said pill container element are snapped above the continuous annular rib within said sleeve element.
 7. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein the nibs on said pill container element are so located with respect to the annular rib within said sleeve element that they remain in juxtaposition after said pill container element is pressed into said sleeve element with the said nibs snapped over said rib and the upper peripheral edge of said pill container element is positioned against the inner surface of the top of said cap.
 8. A safety pill container as claimed in claim 2 wherein the relationship between the outer nibs of said safety pill container and the inner circular rib of the safety pill container causes the snapping of the outer nibs of the safety pill container element over the continuous inner rib of the sleeve element while unlocking of the said pill container element from its locked position to provide an audible signal of substantial magnitude indicating that someone, possibly an unauthorized child or person, has unlocked and freed the safety pill container element from its locked position within said sleeve element whereby to admit of free access to the contents thereof. 